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About 50 MVNOs operate on EE, Vodafone and O2. 2G/GSM is on 900 and 1800 MHz (except Three which has only 3G and 4G), 3G/UMTS is on 900 and 2100 MHz.

4G/LTE has been started in 2013 on all networks. Frequencies on 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz bands were granted. 4G is offered by all networks on prepaid now, but only on some MVNOs. In 2015 EE has the best 4G/LTE coverage at about 80% of population, while Vodafone, O2 and 3 have all around 60% coverage.

Prepaid is often called "pay as you go (PAYG)" in the UK. The list starts with the network providers according to size followed by the most significant MVNOs on the market.

Nearly all networks have an expiry policy of six months since the last balance increase or decrease. Although this is official policy, it is usually sufficient to receive a call every six months because this generates revenue, albeit small, for the network. The most notable exception is Lycamobile which operates a 90-day expiry policy since the last balance increase or decrease in all of the markets in which it operates. For visitors, the easiest way to maintain validity while outside the UK, in order to keep both credit and the mobile number for future visits to the UK, is to send a roaming SMS every 6 months.

Prepaid SIM cards in the UK are delivered with a so called "Content Lock" in place. This is to protect children from accessing adult content. The problem is that a whitelisting approach is used for this, meaning that everything that has not been actively approved as non-adult will be treated as "adult".

This can seriously interfere with your internet accessibility, e.g. some users could not use their instant messaging services. Even emails and all "unguided" forums like Facebook or Twitter can be affected. However this can be bypassed using a VPN or proxy app/software to conceal your identity

The usual way to disable the content lock is to enter credit card data to prove your age; but this only works with UK-issued credit cards, and as a tourist you probably won't have one of those.Therefore when you buy a new SIM card in store insist that the lock will be removed right away (takes 1 minute). For this you may need to provide some form of ID to prove your age, when you look young.

Topping up your SIM online in many cases requires a UK-issued credit or debit card, but this is variable, even from one card to another with the same network. There are some private service providers on the net like mobiletopup.co.uk or Top Up UK who accept international cards and do it for a surcharge. Mobiletopup charges a flat per-order surcharge, no matter how many vouchers you buy. If you don't have a UK credit or debit card, you need to buy top-up vouchers which are widely available in shops throughout the UK, but refills from abroad not having one of these is tricky. Topping up via cash machines (ATMs) is also widely accepted but again you may only do this if you have a UK-based credit or debit card.

EE (formerly called Everything Everywhere) was created in 2010 after the merger of Orange UK and T-Mobile UK to become the largest operator in the UK under the joint ownership of Orange (formerly France Télécom) and Deutsche Telekom. BT announced in February 2015 that it had agreed to acquire EE, subject to regulatory approval expected by March 2016. EE's 2G is on 1800 MHz, 3G/UMTS on 2100 MHz with the best coverage in the UK at 98%. They were the first to start 4G/LTE in 2013 on 1800 Mhz and later on 800 and 2600 MHz in 2013: EE coverage map. They have the best 4G coverage with almost 90% of population in 2015. 4G+ or double speed LTE is available in about 20 major cities so far.

EE now only sells SIM cards with 4G/LTE included with no surcharge. Their prepaid SIM is called "4GEE" including 4G/LTE. 4G+ is "double speed" LTE with average download rates of 24-30 Mbps instead of 12-15 Mbps.

T-Mobile UK and Orange UK were merged to EE (see above) in 2010. Existing prepaid customers can still use 2G/3G of EE network, but not 4G/LTE.

Effective of Feb. 2015 EE has discountinued all new plans for T-Mobile and Orange through direct sales at EE stores, from March 2015 through indirect channels. Existing customers have grandfathering and can stay on the old brands.

You might still get old starter packs on Ebay or other platforms for a while. But officially, they have been withdrawn from the market. So we don't list them anymore.

last T-Mobile prepaid price list, still valid only for existing customers: online in PDF

last Orange prepaid price list, still valid only for existing customers: online in PDF

Vodafone UK has a good coverage on 2G (900 and 1800 MHz) and 3G (900 and 2100 MHz) nationwide, and are rolling out 4G/LTE on 800 and 2600 MHz now: Vodafone coverage map. They cover about 70% of population by LTE in 2015 making it the 2nd best LTE network.

Their 4G/LTE network is now accessible for prepaid customers on the new Freedom Freebee packs (GBP 20 and up) as listed below. When spending GBP 30 and up, they also come with Spotify Premium or Sky Sports (Music/Sport Streaming) for the full 30 days included free.

You can purchase a SIM card online or from any Vodafone store for free. You can recharge it at their stores or many other kiosks or convenience stores throughout the country. This SIM needs to be activated by gonig online or calling 4354. Then you have to choose one of their Big Value Bundle schemes all valid for one month, which can be added by Data Freebies for more data

O2 UK has good coverage nationwide using 2G GSM on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G UMTS on 900 and 2100 MHz and has started LTE on 800 MHz only. O2 coverage map.. It has opened some of its prepaid products to 4G/LTE with a surcharge. It covers about 70% of the population with 4G/LTE in 2015, but an obligation to reach 97% by 2017. As it only uses 800 MHz it concentrates more on wide coverage than on high speeds.

These monthly bundles with data, domestic text and voice are available:

£10: 500 MB up to 3G speed, 500 dom. texts and 100 dom. mins

£15: 1 GB up to 4G speed, 2000 dom. text and 200 dom. mins

£20: 2 GB up to 4G speed, 4000 dom. text and 400 dom. mins

You can upsize data by "bolt-ons": 100 MB for GBP 3, 500 MB for GBP 6 and 1 GB for GBP 10 by calling 2202 or online on your account. Be aware that outside of the bundles you surf on a ridiculous default rate of GBP3/MB!

3 (Three) has the smallest network of all operators in the UK but the most agressive pricing. Three is a 3G and 4G network only with only a voice/text fallback to EE 3G in some low coverage areas. The text and call coverage can be much worse in the countryside compared to the three big ones. 3 coverage map You need to have a 3G UMTS phone on 2100 MHz and for 4G a device which can transmit on 800 and 1800 MHz. 2G-only phones don't work on Three.

Three has launched 4G services in late 2013 charging the same for 4G as it does for 3G, unlike the other three primary networks which all surcharge for 4G. It covers about 53% of population with 4G by 2015 giving Three the lowest coverage in the UK, but growing fast.

The SIM card is given out for free. They have different products for phones and computers.

all-you-can-eat data (no limit or fair use policy applies) in 30 days for £15 (with 300 mins and 3000 texts)

When data is used up you are free to buy another pack without waiting until the end of the previously bought add on pack. After data add-on is used up charges revert to £0.30 per MB if another add on is not bought.

Purchase from a Three store for £10 which includes £10 credit, also available online. Extra credit can be bought from anywhere displaying the green 'top up' logo.Vouchers are available for £10, £15, £20, £25, £30 and £50 and must be activated within 90 days of purchase online or by calling 444. Credit doesn't expire on Three SIMs.

This roaming option is available to all pay-as-you-go SIMs of Three UK and is valid in Austria, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Macau, New Zealand, Norway. Ireland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland and in the US (on both AT&T and T-Mobile networks!!). It is enabled automatically when entering one of these countries above with a Three UK SIM on roaming and means that data is charged the same like in the UK with no roaming surcharges at all. More info in the European Union section of this WIKI at Euro3.

Tethering is officially not allowed on any prepaid SIM card of Three. On their "Pay as you go" product, Three verifies if you use it on a smartphone by TTL detection; tablet and modem use is banned, as well as tethering to it. On their "Mobile Broadband" product, tethering is only officially banned, but not blocked. This means that you will not receive a profile to use it for tethering on an iPhone. Tethering from Android devices still works, on roaming too, verified 26/4/15, no matter what Three sales reps. are telling you.

Giffgaff is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telefónica, who also own O2, and operates as MVNO on O2 UK (for technical info see O2). 4G/LTE is available for a higher monthly price, but once 4G/LTE is activated by buying a 4G goodybag, it remains active on the SIM card until a 3G goodybag is purchased.

GiffGaff SIMs can be ordered online to a UK address for free with delivery by 1st Class post usually within 2 to 3 days. Or you can be introduced by any member of giffgaff and get £5 free credit on activation. The member him/herself also receives 500 points worth £5 of balance on activation of the new SIM. The SIM is despatched by giffgaff in the same way, not by the member, but giffgaff remembers that you were introduced by another member when you activate the SIM. If you would like to be introduced by an existing member with UK delivery, here are some member links to choose from:

There are also a couple of members who can send a free SIM card (with the above £5 free credit deal) to an address outside the UK so that you already have your SIM before you travel. In this case, the SIM is not despatched by giffgaff but by the member. The member uses some of the £5 free credit to fund the international postage, and therefore makes a loss if you do not subsequently activate the SIM. Here are the links for the order pages:

To activate your SIM on their website, you need a UK-issued credit card or will need to credit your account with a top-up voucher. You can buy credit from many UK convenience stores and almost all supermarkets and fuel stations (ask for giffgaff or O2 cards) and can also buy top up vouchers online at private facilitators like mobiletopup.co.uk or Top Up UK for a surcharge. Mobiletopup charges a flat per-order surcharge, no matter how many vouchers you buy.

If you want to use the Virgin Mobile SIM in a 3G Wifi Router, be aware you'll need to call the company through the SIM you're about to use for data (to activate the Big Data Pack). This may cause problems since routers are not made to call someone (duh!) Furthermore, if your 3G Router needs another SIM format than your phone, you might also encounter problems to activate the tariff.

There is no other way to activate the option than calling Virgin through the SIM. You cannot activate it via their website or SMS. In this case make sure you have an old phone available to activate the desired option.

ASDA Mobile is the MVNO of Tesco's biggest rival as retailer called ASDA. It used to operate on the Vodafone network. In 2014 they have migrated to the EE network (see EE above, but no 4G/LTE on ASDA mobile), which led to many complaints. Compared to Tesco, it has the better coverage on 3G, but lacks 4G speeds in the cities.

ASDA Mobile SIM cards can be bought online on their website or in many ASDA supermarkets and grocery stores throughout the UK: store locator for 50p. You can top up at any ASDA store or anywhere you see their logo buying a top-up voucher.

Mobile by Sainsbury's is the MVNO of Britain 3rd largest retailer chain called Sainsbury's. It started in 2013 on the network of Vodafone. So it gives good coverage in 3G, but is not yet open for 4G/LTE and has a good rate for roaming.

Their pay-as-you-go SIM cards can be bought online to be sent to a UK postal address and at most Sainsbury's markets especially in the larger stores that have an own phone shop attached (store locator). Their SIM card is free and comes in standard/micro or nano size.

For top-ups you can buy a voucher from Sainsbury’s or any outlet displaying the green top-up logo: they’re available in values of £10, £15, £20, £25, £30 or £50. To add your credit, call 40775 free and choose option 1, followed by option 2.

Default data rate outside of bundles is 5p per MB. They only offer combined monthly packages with domestic minutes, texts and data included. All bundles come as a standard bundle that expires at the end of the month and rolling bundles with 20% discount that will auto-renew.

Data

Dom. Voice

Dom. Text

Standard

Price

Rolling

Price

500 MB

300 mins

5000 SMS

£ 10

£ 8

1 GB

500 mins

5000 SMS

£ 12.50

£ 10

2 GB

800 mins

5000 SMS

£ 15

£ 12

Activation of the rolling bundles is done online only. Standard bundles can be activated by texting 10, 12.50 or 15 to 40775.

As first PAYG provider in the UK they offer their domestic default rate of 5p per MB for data without any surcharges on roaming in all of the EU/EEA countries. This is one of the cheapest roaming offers for low data consumption in Europe.

You may only have 1 Data Pass active at any time. If you consume all of your Data Pass allowance, you will be charged the default rate. Data Passes auto-renew on expiry. If you don’t have sufficient credit, Lebara will try to auto-renew for 7 days or until you cancel auto-renewal. To cancel auto renew text WEB500*STOP or WEB1GB*STOP to 65088 or opt-out via your MyLebara account.

Lebara offers so-called "bolt ons" for extra data when the original package is used up:

200 MB: GBP 3, activation: text B200 to 38885

500 MB: GBP 5, activation: text B500 to 38885

1 GB: GBP 7.50, activation: text 1GB to 38885

Be aware, that the bolt-ons are only valid for the rest of running time of the original package.

Lycamobile is one of the first MNVOs which makes 4G/LTE accessible for prepaid on the "UK 15 Plan". For 15 GBP per month you get 3 GB 4G/LTE data, unlimited domestic texts and 1000 minutes domestic calls. Activation is by texting 11244 to 3535.

Lycamobile will automatically renew your bundle once it expires. Charge for the bundle will be deducted from your main balance at the time of auto renewal of the bundle. To cancel the auto renewal dial *190# before the expiry date and follow the instructions or call Customer Services for free on 353 before the expiry date.

Lycamobile offers cheap roaming bundles to be used in certain countries. For more info see Euro5.

The newest arrival started in June 2015 and is the MVNO of the UK Post Office operating on the EE network (on 2G/3G only, LTE is announced for the end of 2015). Post Offices Ltd. was split off from Royal Mail some years ago and runs the branches and outlets of the UK postal system throughout the country.

Their new SIM is distributed for free either to be sent to an UK postal address or in post offices (branch locator). In summer 2015 they started in the NW of England and will cover the rest of the country by the end of the year. Hybrid mini/micro ard nano SIM cards are available.

To top-up online, you presumably need a UK-credit or debit card. So buy vouchers from any Post Office branch instead: they’re available in values of £5 £10, £15, £20, £25 or £30. Call 450 free from your Post Office Mobile, select option 2 and just follow the simple instructions. You'll need the voucher details to hand. Alternatively, text the voucher code to 1250 for free from your Post Office Mobile.

They have a double top-up promotion. Every first top up of the month (up to £30) is doubled in value for free. This bonus credit can be used for data and stays valid for 30 days only. Thus 2 GB can be bought for £5 or 5 GB for £10 (see below).

Default data rate is 10p per MB. For packages they offer combined bundles with domestic voice, text and data included, all valid for 30 days:

Data

Dom. Voice

Dom. Text

Price

Code

500 MB

250 mins

3000 SMS

£ 5

5MTD

500 MB

500 mins

3000 SMS

£ 7.50

750MTD

2 GB

500 mins

3000 SMS

£ 10

10MTD

3 GB

1000 mins

3000 SMS

£ 15

15MTD

5 GB

1000 mins

3000 SMS

£ 20

20MTD

For activation text 'BUY <code>' to 1250. All packages auto-renew at the end of the month. To stop renewal, text 'CANCEL <code>' to 1250. To credit text 'BAL' and to check data balance text 'BUNDLE' to 1250.

You can get a Delight Mobile SIM card by ordering a starter pack online or from the many shops showing the Delight Mobile sign. The starter pack is free, but you will need to top-up to start making calls.

Top-ups vouchers can be bought at Esso or Total petrol stations, Sainsbury's and Spar, supermarkets, Costcutter, WHSmith, PCWorld, Dixons, Wilkinson. For every top-up, you get data bonus:

Standard rate outside of packs is a very low 1p per MB. These monthly packs are available:

Data Volume

Price

Activation

500 MB

£ 3

*1106#

1 GB

£ 5

*1107#

2 GB

£ 10

*1108#

3 GB

£ 12

*1109#

To check the remaining bundle units in your internet bundle, dial *1102#. All packages auto-renew, to unsubscribe dial *1103#. If you exceed your units limit. you pay standard prepaid rates. You can renew your bundle only after the end of your bundle validity period.